How do driverless cars work?

Driverless cars used to be confined to the realm of science fiction, but now they are coming to a road near you, with the likes of Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Google and Audi among the companies with systems ready to deploy.

From reducing the number of accidents, to improving emissions compliance and easing congestion, the driverless revolution has begun, and that includes trials in various UK locations.

Ultrasonic sensors in the wheels can detect the position of curbs and other vehicles when parking.

Finally, a central computer analyses all of the data from the various sensors to manipulate the steering, acceleration and braking.

This is just the start. As the technology gets cheaper, the driverless car future will increasingly become a reality. With that, of course, comes its own challenges. In May this year a driver was killed in what is believed to be the the first fatal crash involving a self-driving car, while in July, a driver was killed at the wheel of his Tesla while using the Autopilot system. Both accidents are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.